Category Archives: Learning Opportunities

Battle of the Books 2019 Post #2

Learning Opportunities, Other Events & Contests
Calling all 4th-6th graders!  It’s time to start thinking about BOTB 2019!

Fast Facts:

  • Students will form teams of three or four students. Teams may have five students, but at most four students may compete in any round.
  • Each team will provide at least one parent volunteer to assist during part of the competition in March, in addition to a team parent to accompany the team on battle day.
  • Since this is a team event, individual students do not have to read all of the books on the list to participate.
  • This event is open to all 4th through 6th grade students in the District.
  • Registration will begin in October
  • The battle will be held on the morning of March 30, 2019 at Westside Middle School.

Check out the September Flier for additional details and bookmark the BOTB website to get the most up-to-date information!

BOTB Book List: 2019 Golden Sower nominees

1. Soar by Joan Bauer

2. The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

3. All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor

4. Moo: A Novel by Sharon Creech

5. Garvey’s Choice by Nikki Grimes

6. Slacker by Gordan Korman

7. Wish by Barbara O’Connor

8. Maxi’s Secrets: (Or, What You Can Learn from a Dog) by Lynn Plourde

9. Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes

10. Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan

All of these books are available to borrow from the Omaha Public Library and will be available in the school libraries. If you would like to purchase books, check out The Bookworm, Half Price Books, or Amazon.com.

 

#21: The Floating City of Rotterdam

Social Studies Enrichment

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your social studies mini spark recording page: #21: The Floating City of Rotterdam

2.  Watch this introduction video. Record each of the places shown on your recording sheet.

 

3. Read this article and answer 4 of the the questions with 3+ sentences. Remind your teacher that the answer key can be found in the social studies mini spark folder.

  • What historical event led to the creation of the Delta Programme in the Netherlands? Explain the significance of this program in flood management.
  • How does Rotterdam’s innovative architecture contribute to its ability to manage rainwater? Provide specific examples from the text.
  • Explain how the Floating Farm operates. What technologies are used to support food production on the farm?
  • What unique features do Wikkelboats offer to guests, and how do they reflect eco-friendly living?
  • How does the design of the Floating Office Rotterdam (FOR) incorporate sustainability? List at least two design elements mentioned in the text.
  • In what ways do the innovative projects in Rotterdam reflect the city’s response to climate change and flooding challenges?
  • Based on the text, how do these unique architectural projects enhance the experience of residents and visitors in Rotterdam?

4. Go to this link to read an article about the floating park. Write 5-10 details about the park on your recording sheet. Include information about how this park is helping to save the environment.

5. Learn more about floating farms. Record 3-5 reasons you like this idea, 3-5 questions you have, and 3-5 things you don’t like about floating farms.

6. Share your social studies mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

 

#46: Timeline of Mathematics

Math Mini Sparks

In this math mini spark you will explore the accomplishment of mathematicians that have shaped our math world.

Spark your math thinking!

  1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #46: Timeline of Mathematics 
  2. Go to https://mathigon.org/timeline.  Click on a mathematician and read about their contributions. On your recording page, make a tiny info page for the mathematician with 3-5 details.
  3. Choose several mathematicians from each century and add the info to your recording page.
  4. Share your math mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

#57: Polyhedron

Math Mini Sparks

An icosahedron is a polyhedron that has twenty triangular faces.  A stellated icosahedron has each of those faces raised to a triangular pyramid. Wow!  There’s a lot of big words in that sentence!

Spark your math thinking!

  1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #57: Polyhedron
  2. Find out more about polyhedrons. Take notes on your recording page.
  3. Make a Modular Origami Stellated Icosahedron. You will need 30-35  pieces of 3 X 3 paper or origami paper.
  4.  Watch this video to help you get started.

 

5. Work on your Modular Origami Stellated Icosahedron. Be patient. It takes practice to make a shape this complex.  Take a picture of your project and add it to your recording page.

6. Respond to this prompt: How is origami related to math?

7. OPTIONAL: Find instructions for math other polyhedron. Here is a site to try. Take a picture of your project and add it to your recording page.

8.  OPTIONAL: Find instructions to make an origami animal using the WWF Together app on your iPad.

9. Share your math mini spark recording page and your  with your teacher/EY coordinator.

 

#56: Math and Animation

Math Mini Sparks

In the videos for this mini spark, Tony DeRose from Pixar talks about 3D animated characters and the math involved to make them look so smooth.  It turns out there is a TON of math behind some of our favorite animated films, and it starts with some of the math learned in middle school!

Spark your math thinking!

  1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #56: Math and Animation
  2. Watch the videos linked below and share 10 new items you about math and animation that you learned

3.  After watching the videos, click on this link and answer the questions.

4. Share your math mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Check out the Pixar in a Box Badge from the EY website.

#55: Coordinate Geometry

Math Mini Sparks, Uncategorized

Coordinate Geometry is one of my favorite areas of math.  There’s just something about getting a sheet of ordered pairs and carefully plotting them on graph paper…connecting the dots to reveal a picture.  If that’s your sort of thing too, check out Option 3 below.  Happy plotting!

Spark your math thinking!

1. Set up your math mini spark recording page:#55: Coordinate Geometry

2. Learn the basics of coordinate geometry by watching this video.  Take picture notes on your recording sheet. 

3. Read about the inventor of coordinate plane geometry, Rene Descartes.

4. This video gives a musical explanation of his accomplishments.  Put together a note page about him.

5. Print out (or have your teacher print out) this project. Plot the ordered pairs on the graph paper and reveal a spooky surprise!  Take a picture of your completed drawing and send it to the EY Coordinator at your building.

6. Create your own coordinate plane art. Plot the points and connect them with the colored lines. Take a picture after you have practiced for at least 10 minutes.

7. Share your math mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

#54: Multiplication Tricks

Math Mini Sparks

Multiplication. It is one of the four types of operations you learned in math (along with addition subtraction and division). There are many different ways to multiply numbers. However, sometimes, multiplying really big numbers can be a challenge. Luckily, there are many different techniques you can use to solve large multiplication problems.

Spark your math thinking!

  1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #54: Multiplication Tricks
  2. Watch this video about multiplying using lines. Take some notes as you watch to track the process.

3. Print out (or have your teacher print out) this worksheet. Use the method in the video to come up with answers to multiplication problems. You can check your answers on the second page of the worksheet.

4. If you feel comfortable with those problems and want to try multiplying bigger numbers, then print out this worksheet.

5. Share your math mini spark recording page and Explain EDU project with your teacher/EY coordinator.

*Lesson inspired by multiplication lessons from East Asian schools

#53: Cribbage

Math Mini Sparks, Uncategorized

My family enjoys playing pitch,  31, sevens and trash.  However, my absolute FAVORITE game is cribbage!  It involves strategy and math, which is why I like it so much!

Spark your math thinking!

  1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #53: Cribbage
  2. Read about cribbage and record some details.
  3. What is one “thing to remember” when playing cribbage.
  4. Record this information. In cribbage, the Jokers are removed from the deck. The Ace is worth 1. The face cards (Jack, Queen, and King) are each worth 10. The other cards (2 through 9) are each worth their number value
  5. Here are some of the ways you can earn points when playing cribbage.
One of the ways to earn points in cribbage is to have cards that add up to fifteen.  In the picture below, the King and one of the 5’s make 15 so that is 2 points.  The King and the other 5 also make 15, which is another 2 points.  You might notice that there is a 5 that is face up on the deck.  This can also be paired with the King for 15 for another 2 points.  Finally, the three 5’s (2 in the hand and one on the deck) add up to 15.  This is an additional 2 points.IMG_8825When you have a pair of the same card, you earn 2 points.  The pair could be in your hand, or one of your cards could be paired with the card that is face up on the deck.  If you have 3-of-a-kind, that is worth 6 points.  In the picture above, there are two 5’s in the hand and one 5 face up on the deck.  Not only does that make 15, but it is also 3-of-a-kind which earns you 6 points.
A “flush” is when you have 4 or more of the same suit (clubs, spades, hearts, or diamonds).  If you had 4 hearts in your hand, you would earn 4 points.  If the card that is face up on the deck is also a heart, you would get 5 points.  The hand below shows 5 clubs so you would get 5 points.
Hand7
A “run of 3” is when you have 3 cards in numerical order.  You could also have a run of 4 or 5 cards.  Let’s say you had a 3, 4, 5, and 6 in your hand.  You would have a “run of 4” which is 4 points.  If the card on the deck was a 2 or 7, you would have a run of 5.  The hand below shows a run of 5.
RunOf5

6. The pictures below show several cribbage hands.  See if you can add up the points correctly!  Record the “hand #” and an explanation of the total points.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

7. What are other ways you can earn points in a cribbage game?  Do a little research and to find some.

        8. Share your math mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Check out the Cribbage Master Badge from the EY website.

#52: Super Egg

Math Mini Sparks

Numberphile is a YouTube channel that posts many videos about many different math concepts. The channel has numerous videos on many real life examples. It is a great channel to learn about concepts not necessarily taught in school. One video that the channel contains is about a super egg, or a superellipse.

Spark your math thinking!

1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #52: Super Egg

2. Watch the Numberphile Video and share something new you learned about math, geometry, and engineering on your recording sheet.

3. After watching the videos, click on this link and answer the questions. Write how you think you did on the quiz on your recording sheet.

4. Write 3 things you liked about the video and 2 questions you have and 1 thing you did not like about the video.

5. Share your math mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

*Lesson inspired by Numberphile video about superellipses.

#50: Pandigital Numbers

Math Mini Sparks

Why is 361,654,729 awesome? Dive into this math mini spark and find out!

Spark your math thinking!

  1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #50: Pandigital Numbers
  2. Check out this video about pandigital numbers.

3.  Check out the 3 levels of the Pandigital  Number Quiz  at Transum.  Pick the level that suits you. Keep playing your level until you earn a trophy. Add a screenshot of your trophy to your recording page.

Level 1 – Basic questions about pandigital numbers

Level 2 – More challenging questions about pandigital numbers

Level 3 – Excruciatingly difficult questions about pandigital numbers

4. Share your math mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.